Automatic operating attachment for manually operable inflating device

ABSTRACT

A head for a compressed gas container has a projecting plunger which, when depressed, releases gas for inflating a raft. Spaced are bolted to either side of the head and a plurality of spacer shafts secure the plate in parallel to the head. An operating lever of the second class is fulcrumed on a spacer shaft and its free end is biased by a spring toward the plunger, the spring being anchored to another spacer shaft. A fixed post projects from another shaft and a detent lever of the first class fulcrumed on another shaft has a swinging post at one end normally in parallel with the fixed post. The other end of the detent lever is normally engaged with the end of the operating lever to prevent it from engagement with the plunger. A paper ring, rupturable when wet, passes around the posts keeping the detent lever in normal position. A cord attached to the operating lever has a loop around the ring for rupturing the paper and for pulling down the operating lever as a fail-safe.

United States Patent 3,524,569 8/1970 Waters ABSTRACT: A head for acompressed gas container has a projecting plunger which, when depressed,releases gas for inflating a raft. spaced plates are bolted to eitherside of the head and a plurality of spacer shafts secure the plate inparallel to the head. An operating lever of the second class isfulcrumed on a spacer shaft and its free end is biased by a springtoward the plunger, the spring being anchored to another spacer shaft. Afixed post projects from another shaft and a detent lever of the firstclass fulcrumed on another shaft has a swinging post at one end normallyin parallel with the fixed post. The other end of the detent lever isnormally engaged with the end of the operating lever to prevent it fromengagement with the plunger. A paper ring, rupturable when wet, passesaround the posts keeping the detent lever in normal position. A cordattached to the operating lever has a loop around the ring for rupturingthe paper and for pulling down the operating lever as a fail-safe.

PATENTEUUET Sum 3,610 470 sum 2 or 2 1g. PRIOR ART We. I'Ib 7 l7h WILBURW. WATERS AUTOMATIC OPERATING ATTACHMENT FOR MANUALLY OPERABLE INFLATINGDEVICE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to aquaticlife saving equipment and more particularly to an attachment for amanually operable device for releasing gas from a container, theattachment automatically operating the gas releasing device when itcomes in contact with the water.

Inflatable life rafts, which may be stored folded, have long beenprovided with a steel container of compressed gas stored in a pocket forinflating the raft. The container has a head in sealed relationtherewith, the head having a valve, operable by a plunger, whichnormally seals the gas in the container. A handle is pivotally attachedto the head for depressing the plunger when manually operated.

This manually operable device is very reliable and accounts for only asmall proportion of the cost of the raft. In many cases, such as in airrescues or where there is insufficient time for manual operation,however, a life raft is required which has a flotation memberautomatically inflated upon reaching the water. Automatically operatingdevices are also known, but due to the large supplies of the manuallyoperated devices on hand there has long been a need for an economicallymanufactured attachment which can be easily secured to the manualdevices in the field so that they will be automatically operated.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention contemplates an attachment whichis factory assembled except for a single nut and bolt and which may beeasily installed in the field. Two plates, secured together in spacedparallel relation by a plurality of spacer shafts, have therebetween anoperating lever pivotally secured at one end to one of the spacershafts. A spring secured to the free end of the operating lever andanchored to another spacer shaft is used to bias the operating lever. Afixed post projects radially from one of the spacer shafts and a detentlever is pivotally secured to another spacer shaft.

The handle used for manually depressing the projecting operating plungerof the head is removed and the same screws securing the handle to thehead are used for bolting the two plates on either side of the head. Theextra nut and bolt is secured in place and, with one of the spacershafts, forms a pair of spacer shafts straddling or embracing the head.

At the factory the operating lever is turned so one of its ends isengaged against the detent lever. The other end of the detent leverforms a swinging post which is then parallel to the fixed post and aring of paper is placed around both posts to hold the detent lever inplace. The paper ring is strong enough when dry to hold the springbiased lever in place but, when it becomes wet, the paper is rupturedand the operating lever is moved by the spring, and engages anddepresses the plunger projecting from the head.

A manual override, or fail-safe, is provided by a cord having one endtied to the free end of the operating lever, passing down through thespring and then having a bight passed through the ring. The free end ofthe cord is then passed through the bight forming a slip knot which canrupture the paper ring when the free end of the cord is pulled. Afterrupturing the ring the cord may continue to be pulled to manually swingthe operating lever against the plunger if the spring does not do this.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a side elevutional view ofthe attachment according to the invention installed on a container headand ready for use, a portion being broken away for clarity;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing the attachment after it hasbeen operated;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view of a conventional folded life raft,container, and head with handle for mechanical operation, with which theattachment is adapted to be used;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the attachment shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the paper ring of FIG. I showing thelooping of the cord therearound.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In FIG. 1 the attachment 10 isshown secured to a head 11 which is secured to a metal bottle orcontainer 12. A nut 13 attached to head II is adapted to secure atubular conduit, not shown, leading from head 1 1 to a life raft orflotation member thereof and a plunger 14 whose end projects from thehead, is adapted, when depressed, to release compressed gas fromcontainer to fill the flotation member.

The attachment 10 comprises two similar plates 15 and 16, best seen inFIG. 4, which are secured in parallel spaced relation by a plurality ofspacer shafts 17. These spacer shafts may be of a two part construction,as shown at l7ab in FIG. 1, where a tubular spacer 17a has a longershaft or pin 17b therethrough whose ends project through appropriateholes in plates 15 and I6 and are peened over as a rivet. Alternatively,the spacer shafts may be of a one piece construction, as shown at 17c inFIG. 1, where the stud has reduced ends which pass through appropriateholes in the plates and are peened over.

A screw 18 through a hole in each plate and threaded into head 11secures the plates to either side of the head. Spacer shafts 17d and I7estraddle or embrace a portion of the head to prevent rotation of theplates with respect to the head. Spacer shaft 172 is preferably of athree piece construction comprising a tubular spacer with a screw 19therethrough, a nut 20 being provided at the back of the attachment 10as shown in FIG. I to facilitate field assembly of the attachment to thehead.

An operating lever 21 has one end pivotally supported on a spacer shaft17f, washers 22 (FIG. 4) on either side of the lever maintaining itcentered between the plates. A spring 23 has one end hooked throughappropriate holes 24 adjacent the free end 25 of the lever, the otherend of the spring being hooked around spacer shaft 170. Spring 23 biasesthe middle portion of lever 21 toward plunger 14, the lever being alever of the second class.

The free end 25 of the operating lever is normally engaged by one end 26of a detent lever 27 which is pivotally supported near its center by thespacer shaft I7g. Tubular spacer members 17h on the shaft 17g (FIG. 4)center the detent lever 27 between the plates.

The other end 28 of the detent lever forms a movable post and is held inposition by a ring of paper 30 which is looped around the post 28 and afixed post 31. The fixed post is welded or otherwise secured to a spacershaft l7i so as to project radially therefrom parallel to the movablepost 28 when it is in normal position. The ends of spacer shaft l7i areshaped as elongated tongues fitting into conforming slots in the plates15 and 16 for preventing rotation of the spacer shaft l7i, as indicatedin FIG. I.

The paper ring 30, best seen in FIG. 5, is a strip of paper whose endsare clipped or otherwise secured together to form a continuous ring. Thepaper strip is of a special paper having a comparatively high drystrength and a comparatively low wet strength so that the ring 30 isruptured by the force of spring 30 when the ring is immersed in waterbut normally holds the lever 21 out of contact with plunger 14.

A manual override and fail-safe is provided in the form of a cord 33having a tab 34 secured to one end. The other end of cord 33 is loopedthrough the holes 24 of the operating lever 21 and tied, as shown at 35.From the knot at 35 the cord is led down through spring 23 and passesover spacer shaft I70. A bight of the remainder of the cord is thenpassed through the ring 30 at 36 and the free end of the cord passedthrough the bight loop to form a ring rupturing noose best seen in FIG.5. After the ring is ruptured cord 33 remains secured to the lever 21for pulling the lever against plunger I4 if the spring 23 does not doso.

It will now be apparent that when the ring 30 is ruptured, either bypulling cord 33 or by being immersed in water, the

movable post 28 swings free and the end 26 of detent lever 27 releasesthe operating lever 21 to depress plunger 14 and release gas from thecontainer 12.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a conventional container 12 and head 11 havinga manually operable handle 39 are shown in conjunction with a foldedraft 40, shown fragmentally. The container 12, which may be as large as16 or 18 inches in length is stored in a pocket 41 of the life raft andhas a threaded neck engaged in the head 11 and sealed therein at 42. Avalve 43 carried on the plunger 14 normally closes communication fromthe interior of the container with a passage 44 leading to the el orother conduit 45 to the flotation portion of the raft. The nut 13secures the el 45 to head 11. An adapter is usually provided forattachment to head 11 by the nut 13 for filling the container 12, as bya pump.

Handle 39 has ears 47 pivotally secured to the head by screws 18 whichthread into the head at either side. The bandle has a cam portion 46adapted to depress plunger 14 to release gas from container 12 toinflate the flotation portion of the raft when the handle is pulled awayfrom head 11.

It will now be apparent that the attachment may be factory assembledexcept for being attached to head 11. To convert the manually operablehead 11 of FIG. 3 for automatic operation, the handle 39 is disassembledby removing screws 18 and is then discarded. The attachment 10, which iscompletely assembled except for the shaft or screw 19, its tubularspacer, and nut 20, is then slid into position with plates 15 and 16 oneither side of the head. Screws 18 are then inserted through suitableholes provided in the plates 15 and 16 and rescrewed into their threadedholes in the head 11. Screw 19 is then assembled and nut 20 tightenedand the attachment is thus secured in position ready for operation.

lclaim:

1. An attachment for a manually actuatable device for inflating aflotation member, the manual device comprising: a head and a containerof gas under pressure in threaded and sealed engagement therewith, thehead having a pair of axially aligned threaded holes on opposite sidesthereof, a partially projecting plunger operable to release gas from thecontainer, and conduit means for conducting gas from the container tothe flotation member when the plunger is depressed; the attachmentcomprising a pair of plates, screws in the head threaded holes securingthe plates to either side of the head, a plurality of spacer shaftssecuring the plates in parallel, two of the spacer shafts embracing thehead for preventing turning of the plates with respect to the head, alever of the second class having one end fulcrumed on a third spacershaft, a coilspring having one end secured to a fourth spacer shaft andits other end secured to the lever free end for biasing the leveragainst the plunger, a first post fixed normal to a nonrotatable fifthspacer shaft, a second post secured oscillatably to a sixth spacer shaftand forming therewith as a fulcrum'a lever of the first class, thesecond post having one end normally engaged with the free end of thelever of the second class for preventing its oscillation toward theplunger, and a rupturable ring around the first post and the other endof the second post for securing the second post parallel with the firstpost, the ring having at least a segmental portion of paper having a drystrength sufficient to hold the lever of thesecorid class fromoscillation and a wet strength sufficiently low to allow the ring to beruptured by the spring biased second post when the paper becomes wet,whereby the device and attachment is automatically actuated whenimmersed in water.

2. The device and attachment defined in claim 1 having a manualpull-tab, the pull-tab being secured by a cord to the lever of thesecond class at the point where the spring is secured, the cord passingthrough the center of the coil-spring and being looped around the paperof the rupturable ring,

whereby the paper of the ring is severed when the tab is pulled and thelever of the second class is manually pulled against the plunger if thespring does not function.

1. An attachment for a manually actuatable device for inflating aflotation member, the manual device comprising: a head and a containerof gas under pressure in threaded and sealed engagement therewith, thehead having a pair of axially aligned threaded holes on opposite sidesthereof, a partially projecting plunger operable to release gas from thecontainer, and conduit means for conducting gas from the container tothe flotation member when the plunger is dEpressed; the attachmentcomprising a pair of plates, screws in the head threaded holes securingthe plates to either side of the head, a plurality of spacer shaftssecuring the plates in parallel, two of the spacer shafts embracing thehead for preventing turning of the plates with respect to the head, alever of the second class having one end fulcrumed on a third spacershaft, a coilspring having one end secured to a fourth spacer shaft andits other end secured to the lever free end for biasing the leveragainst the plunger, a first post fixed normal to a nonrotatable fifthspacer shaft, a second post secured oscillatably to a sixth spacer shaftand forming therewith as a fulcrum a lever of the first class, thesecond post having one end normally engaged with the free end of thelever of the second class for preventing its oscillation toward theplunger, and a rupturable ring around the first post and the other endof the second post for securing the second post parallel with the firstpost, the ring having at least a segmental portion of paper having a drystrength sufficient to hold the lever of the second class fromoscillation and a wet strength sufficiently low to allow the ring to beruptured by the spring biased second post when the paper becomes wet,whereby the device and attachment is automatically actuated whenimmersed in water.
 2. The device and attachment defined in claim 1having a manual pull-tab, the pull-tab being secured by a cord to thelever of the second class at the point where the spring is secured, thecord passing through the center of the coil-spring and being loopedaround the paper of the rupturable ring, whereby the paper of the ringis severed when the tab is pulled and the lever of the second class ismanually pulled against the plunger if the spring does not function.